EU says it will suspend ship patrols that have rescued tens of thousands of migrants since 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea, after deep resistance by Italy's anti-migration government
Migrants, intercepted off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea, wait to disembark from a rescue boat at dawn at the port of Malaga, southern Spain on January 15, 2019.
European Union diplomats agreed that the operation would be officially extended six months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but no longer deploy ships and instead rely on air missions and coordination with Libya. The EU has credited the mission with having stopped smugglers taking migrants on dangerous sea crossings, but anger in Italy effectively put an end to rescue operations through Sophia a year ago.
In demanding other EU states take in more, Rome has also blocked non-government organisations from disembarking migrants rescued at sea in Italian ports.
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